The Rabbit and The Wolf
by NocturnalHunter
Summary: When Alisa transferred to the Far Eastern Branch, she had no idea what she was in for. Between reckless leaders and strange team members, she found herself being captivated by green eyes and a predatory smile. What ensues is humor, drama and a little bit romance on the side. (Alisa x FemProtag, Spinoff of Loss of Faith)
1. Rabbit and Wolf

Yes, I did it. (God damnit, there went my conviction that I would never touch romance but whatever) This is a spinoff of my other story Loss of Faith (sharing the same protagonist) but I decided to make it an independent story due to popular demand of this pairing so I can focus more on the relationship than on the overall plot. The story revolves around their first meeting and their developing relationship over time (with all the embarrassing mishaps that could happen) with things that aren't mentioned in LoF.

So, I hope you will like my first try on romance.

* * *

"A new recruit?" Lucifer frowned and crossed her arms before her chest. Her superior was here again and this time, with another favor to ask. She silently noted the connection with his favor asking and the depletion of her beer rations, but, since she didn't drink it anyway, she saw no harm in it.

Lindow opened his newly acquired can of beer with an acknowledging and happy hum. "Yeah, another New Type for Russia this time. She doesn't really have any real combat experience but her scores are good."

"Good scores don't make a good fighter." The woman clicked her tongue and rubbed her chin. Then she frowned in irritation as she went through the papers in her hand.

"Around Kota's age. Fifteen, I believe."

"So we really got some fresh meat there," She mumbled. The statement made the older male laugh. "Says the one who just started a few weeks ago." A soft sigh escaped her and she leaned back on the couch.

"I thought we both know that I'm hardly new to this kind of business. The only thing that still irritates me is, that the God Arc feels so 'light' compared to how it looks."

"Ah, don't stress yourself with that. You are already going beyond expectations."

"The only thing that gives me a headache is the reason why we need another New Type."

"Is that jealousy I hear? Don't worry, nobody can replace our little demon-spawn." Lucifer gave him a deadpan look. "Wow, this one was bad. Even for you." Lindow laughed nervously and combed with a hand through his black hair. "Ah, come on, Rookie. Give me a break."

"You aren't giving me one, so I don't see the reason why I should." She shrugged her shoulders, offering him a faint smirk which vanished a second later. "Fine, I will come tomorrow and take a look at her."

"Don't look so grim, Rookie. She might be totally alright."

"I admit that's a possibility and since she is on our team, I have to tolerate her either way." She sighed again. "…Let's hope it doesn't go any different. This already gives me an uncomfortable feeling."

"It will be fine. Trust me, you will like her."

* * *

"You must be the other New Type..." The girl muttered, mustering her thoroughly with her eyes as if she wanted to evaluate Lucifer judging on looks alone. "I apologize for my sudden question but in your profile I haven't found a name - or rather - a sick joke thereof."

Out of the corner of her eyes, the one spoken of threw a look in Lindow's direction while he resisted the urge to smack his palm against his forehead in frustration. Not even five minutes into the conversation and this topic had to come up. The girl's haughty look and tone which she underlined by flipping her hair back were certainly not helping. He tried to break it up carefully as possible and it only earned him another unwise response.

"I beg pardon? What ridiculous reason would somebody have to name themselves after the devil? It just reeks of overconfidence and immaturity."

He was the leader but he certainly didn't sign up for this. Lucifer was a relatively calm and collected person who was, at least, a little bit sociable but he knew out of experience by just playing with her that she would crush somebody when she saw reason to. Nervously he glanced to Lucifer, silently pleading not to go ahead and seeing it as a challenge. She seemed calm at first as if she just ignored her but then she started to _smirk_.

"Oh, bloody hell…" He muttered silently to himself. This wasn't good.

"As for a new one without any battle experience, you sure don't seem to lack…" She paused, her tone calm and polite but underlined with an odd coldness which indicated that she was annoyed. "Overconfidence. I am well aware that this name can be considered corny by some, but it is just a name, isn't it?"

Lindow watched with a frown how for a split second the newcomer shrank away from the other female. Fortunately, Lucifer left it at that and returned to her usual short and polite conversation. As most of them left for the mission, he heard her chuckle in amusement for the possibly first time.

"Care to explain the joke?"

"Well, she is not nice and a little bit haughty and proud."

Lindow dreaded the next question he was going to ask.

"How bad is that?"

"I _like_ haughty people." She suddenly admitted with a smile that made his blood run cold in this veins.

"Haha…Rookie. No offense there but why do I get a very _bad_ feeling when you say that?" Her smile was almost predatory.

"Don't worry. I already told you that I will try to be civil and nice." Her smile vanished. "But I can't make any promises when she drags others through the dirt and causes problems with her overconfidence. You will agree with me, that this is not a very good behavior to show towards others."

"Just…take it easy on her, will you?"

"That, _Leader_ , depends on her."

* * *

Prolog finished. I hope you liked it so far and yeah, Lindow is going to suffer for our entertainment. (I'm so sorry but someone had to do it xD)

Have a nice night,

TheNocturnalHunter


	2. The Haughty Rabbit and the Lone Wolf

Chapter 2, or first one after the Prolog.

To clear it up for some readers, since I have become aware of the anime. This is a story happening within the content of the game provides me. The protag isn't Lenka or a genderbent version of him and doesn't follow the anime. I'm also aware that Yuu is the cannon protagonist in Novels and Manga (and the 2nd game if you don't import save files) but I just focus on the game which lets me chose between female and male protagonist. (and no, no self-insert.)

I just wanted to note it here, for anybody who is interested.

Please enjoy the next chapter

* * *

Their first mission together went without a hitch. Much to Lindow's relief, Lucifer held her word and behaved like she always did around them although she kept a close eye on the newcomer. Kota due his friendly and open nature awed at Alisa's combat ability which only earned him an arrogant look, a 'Hmph' and a casual backflip of her hair instead of a proper response.

Their leader looked back at Lucifer who met his gaze for a moment and then shrugged her shoulders before she wordlessly turned back to gather materials from the ground. Lindow left her to her work like always, seeing that no other aragami were around to prey on them. As she stood by his side again, he offered her a smirk.

"Got anything good?"

Lucifer sighed. "Not enough for a new blade but it's a good way to start."

His first movement was to give her a pat on her head but the glare she threw him the moment she noticed what he was about to do, he decided it wasn't a good idea. Both watched as Kota still tried to get Alisa talking - or rather - build up a friendly companionship.

It went as well as both expected.

"…Thanks for not acting up." Lindow exhaled the smoke and then stomped out the cigarette.

"She didn't verbally attack me but her arrogant behavior makes my skin crawl." She smiled again but then shook her head. "Not in a good way." Then she nodded at them. "Shouldn't you smooth things over?"

"And take away Kota's chance to finally woo a lady? Of course not."

"…You are enjoying to see him getting into trouble, don't you?"

He gave her a smirk, tilting his head to the side. The man didn't even try to feint innocent intentions on his part.

"Every man has to go through this sometimes. Speaking of which, we should hurry. I have another date after this one." The way he spoke of it and the regularity of the word made her doubt it was really a 'date' in a sense. But it was his private business, so she wouldn't pry.

"Hey, Alisa, Kota! Get ready to head back!" Lindow shouted.

"Coming!"

Alisa just rolled her eyes at the still happy-go-lucky youth and Lucifer sighed. Habits were hard to control and that girl presented herself like a filet on a platter in front of a starving predator. It wasn't much and certainly not the type of human which she usually hunted down but beggars couldn't be choosers. She closed her eyes, mumbling something to herself before she followed Lindow.

One hour later, Lucifer stood in the main hall and looked down at the mission corner. Tatsumi tried to flirt with Hibari again which the female ignored. It made her smirk amused at the display before her mind wandered back to the problem at hand.

"I hope he gets the newcomer under control before I step in." She mumbled under her breath, clench and unclenching her fist. Then she exhaled, relaxing her stiff muscles a little bit. "Ha…As if I were so desperate…"

Steps were closing in, judging the sound that person was wearing heels and only a couple of few would ever decide to wear something uncomfortable like that. Lucifer pushed herself away from the railing and her eyes narrowed at the newcomer waltzing towards her. Silently she hoped, the girl would just walk away but she was walking right towards her.

"Ah, there you are."

"Do you need anything from me?"

"I will ask again. What is your real name?"

"…Does it really matter so much to you?" Lucifer countered the question calmly. "It's just a word."

"Exactly this is why I don't understand your childish stubbornness to hide it behind such a…" With a simple gesture, Lucifer managed to stop her rant. "I take no judgment from someone who just passed a few tests and thinks the world bows before her just like that."

Her mouth fell open. "H-How dare you…! You have just a few weeks more field practice. I won't get insulted by a fellow beginner."

"Yeah, I'm just a few weeks longer than you in business. But I don't see a reason to badmouth what you label 'Old Types'. You are not superior to anyone of them just because you can switch modes. They have overcome more with less, so pay some respect."

"Well, I don't see _you_ paying any respect to any of them."

"Sometimes shutting up instead of bickering around like a little child, is a sign of respect." Lucifer shrugged her shoulders and gave her smirk. "I'm sorry, it's time for my next mission, so I have to cut our conversation short. Have a good day." Then Lucifer turned away and moved down the stairs, leaving the young girl dumbfounded.

After a few seconds, she balled her hands into fists. "How dare she…"

"Relax, Alisa." Lindow nibbled on his cigarette while she jumped away in surprise that he was suddenly standing beside her. "She isn't the most social around but she isn't so bad when you don't rub her the wrong way."

"Is even one person normal in this unit?" Her leader gave her an almost smug smile. "We are just a bunch of crazy people wielding oversized swords against oversized things with very sharp teeth. I think that answers your question."

Alisa crossed her arms before her chest and then she started to frown.

"Wait…Why are you still here when she just said that she had a mission?"

Lindow titled his head and then rubbed his chin. "She did?" He sighed. "Well, I have to lecture her later about taking another solo mission without talking to me first. This is getting a trend…"

"…You let her take solo missions?"

"Huh? Yeah, once in a while. She is a good team fighter but she says she is better when she is alone in some cases. What I have seen, I can say that she is certainly more…brutal. Not in a too bloody way but…It's hard to describe, really."

"You were watching her?"

"Do you think I would just send a newbie out just like that without checking up on them? I was close to her mission area, in case something happens." His lips curved upwards after a few seconds of silence. "Hey, want to take a look?"

The smaller female crossed her arms.

"I'm not a lowly stalker. I will pass."

In the end, she still went with him to the Wailing Plains with a sore look on her face.

* * *

"Hmm…Seems like we are getting close." Lindow hummed as he looked at the dead Orgetails to his side.

"Are you sure that it wasn't another aragami?"

"Yeah…" He pointed at the served tail with his cigarette. "The cut is too clean for a pair of aragami fangs."

An inhuman roar cut through the sound of rain and they wasted no time and hurried towards it. Not far off from the cliff they were standing was a monkeylike Kongou, swinging its massive arms at a smaller figure. Alisa's first action was to immediately step forward to jump down to help the other God Eater but Lindow got hold of her shoulder and dragged her back.

"Easy there."

"But…"

"We are here to watch." He reminded her. Alisa's eyes flickered to the figure which suddenly disappeared and appeared behind the aragami. Her mouth opened slightly.

"How…?!"

"She is very fast."

"That wasn't a quick step. There is no way someone could be that fast over such a distance."

"I honestly don't know. It could be a side mutation of the Oracle Cells, but she never can hold this kind of speed for very long and she never uses it when other people are around. She doesn't talk about it much either."

Her movements were very controlled and flowed with the rhythm of counter attacks and dodges of the aragami. That was certainly not a newbie. She was far above that level.

"She is…a newer recruit, isn't she?" The sudden uncertainty in Alisa's voice made Lindow chuckle. "Yeah, I was there when she officially received her God Arc but ever since she is able to take missions, she hasn't taken a day off. When she isn't on a mission, she writes her reports, trains or takes care of her God Arc."

"Doesn't she have hobbies?"

"You are asking that the wrong person. I tried to get her to be sociable and she goes along when at least food is involved. She has started to talk at least a little bit with us but you know…Never the most talkative person around."

"And not the most polite one."

"She is more polite than Soma but I get your point. Can I ask a favor?"

"And that would be?"

"Since you are both New Types and all…maybe you could try to get along."

"That doesn't depend on me, _Leader_."

"It would be a good start to respect your superior." Alisa flinched and turned around. Lucifer was standing behind her, her wet blue strains sticking to her skin and her face covered with sprinkles of black blood. Despite her appearance, her expression was calm and collected which made her look even more eerie. She moved her hand through her messy blue hair and slicked it back.

Even in the rain, her green eyes glowed softly even though they looked like glass, deep, clear and empty. Combined with her pale skin and oval face, she looked like a doll. This picture vanished immediately out of Alisa's head and the person in front of her started to smirk. It made her look more feral and wolfish. The look of her eyes switched from neutral to piercing as they wandered to their leader.

"I didn't know that you were around."

"Ah, you know. Something came up and…" He shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I didn't remember permitting a solo mission either."

"Point taken." Then she turned back to Alisa who stiffened. "Did you enjoy the show?"

"T-That…" Suddenly she seemed flustered as she caught herself staring at her clear green eyes. Lucifer lifted an eyebrow and then chuckled at her reaction.

"I-It was reckless a-and…a waste of time! I'm going back to the meeting point." With a red face, Alisa stomped away in the rain leaving the other two God Eaters to exchange a glance.

"That was an oddly cute reaction." Lucifer stated which made Lindow choked on the smoke in surprise. After the coughing fit, he looked at her teary eyed. "Did you just… say 'cute'?"

"So?" Confused the still bloodstained woman shrugged her shoulders. "If it wasn't cute, how would you describe it?"

"It was. I mean…You know what you don't strike me as someone who would use the word 'cute'."

"It's always cute when people act all high and mighty, then get embarrassed and start to puff up their cheeks like a kid would do. It reminds me of a hamster."

After that, Lindow couldn't look straight at Alisa's face without having a picture of a hamster with puffed up cheeks in his head.

* * *

Yeah, I know the story is titled the rabbit and the wolf but hamster seemed fitting in context. xD

I hope you enjoyed it,

Have a nice night,

TheNocturnalHunter


	3. The Lost Rabbit and The Hungry Wolf

A little time skip. The moon in the Welkin mission and the Resonance-event already happened.

* * *

Silence hung over them. Just every time, Lucifer flipped a page in her book, the room was filled with a short shifting sound as the papers rubbed against each other. Alisa's fingers dug into the white blanket as she looked down. It wasn't uncomfortable but it was certainly awkward and confusing.

They never had exchanged many words, just spoke when it was necessary. Lucifer was not much of a talker herself but she could communicate without losing a word. Ever since Alisa woke up after the 'Moon in the Welkin' incident, she expected a more hostile atmosphere wavering around her.

But Lucifer just gave her an almost apathetic one. She wasn't angry, she wasn't disappointed and she didn't even look at her with pity. Instead, the only flicker of emotion she had felt when they had their memories resonate was sympathy as if she knew what she had gone through.

Alisa glanced at the woman at her side.

Now when she thought about it, she knew nothing about her besides her weird name. Most of the time, it didn't seem to matter. She was a God Eater, she fought aragami but lacked the hatred against them. Every time she saw Lucifer fight, it was calculated and cold. She didn't drag the fight out. Instead, when she dove into the fight, she just killed it as fast as possible. Her expression didn't change, even when black blood splattered into her face or when she left the creature mutilated.

A short shiver ran down her spine as Alisa remembered the rumor about Eric and how that woman to her side failed to react 'properly'. She just had continued as if the young man never had been ripped to shreds in front of her. Additionally, she liked to mock the resident 'Death God' and didn't show a hint of fear even when he tried to glare her into submission.

That woman was incredibly cold or calm to the point of being eerie but still, the silence and her being there in this moment didn't give off a strange vibe. Alisa watched her. Her thin eyebrows rose as her mouth formed silent words and her green eyes followed the words on the paper. Then she frowned. Suddenly she snapped the book close, startling the younger girl.

"If you want me to leave, you should say so."

Alisa opened her mouth and closed, for a moment unable to form words.

"N-No! I mean…." She cleared her throat. "No, that is not the case. I just…" Unsure she tugged one strain of her hair behind her ear and averted her gaze, feeling the heat rising to her cheeks in embarrassment. She didn't mean to stare.

„Y-You don't have to show up every day, you know. I'm sure that you are busy with other things right now."

"That would be?" Lucifer crossed her arms before her chest, looking oddly amused.

"I- I don't know…Reports or training or whatever you do in your free time."

"They forgot to tell you that I'm a workaholic, didn't they?" The older woman smirked and then chuckled to herself. "I have finished the report, the next mission for me is scheduled tomorrow morning. I already did two today and while Gina still checks my God Arc, I can't go on my third."

"W-Wait, three missions? Isn't that a little bit…"

"I stay in the surrounding area and just go more or less from one checkpoint to the other and salvage what I can get. Aragami aren't always involved as it is just patrol duty. Due to Sakuya being told to rest and Kota and Soma who are the only other ones who currently active in this unit, the two of them are mostly sent on one mission involving larger aragami when something shows up too close to the city." Lucifer explained, leaning forward with a sigh.

"I'm sorry…This is all my fault."

Lucifer's expression didn't move even an inch as she looked at her.

"Why do you think that?"

"Because I…"

"Made a mistake." Lucifer shook her head. "It happens to the best of us. Eric, for example, should have been my senior and he just found it better to monologue about this greatness instead of looking at his surroundings."

Alisa stared at her, shocked at her rather dry words towards someone who met such a cruel fate.

"In that aspect, I'm also at fault because I couldn't sense the attack earlier and push him out of the way." She chuckled again. Her chuckles always sounded more often hollow than filled with emotion. They more felt like they filled the silence. "But it doesn't change the fact that he is dead and I'm alive. I got a chance to do it better."

"But…this is unfair, don't you think? L…Lindow was well respected and a good man who wouldn't have…" Alisa's lips quivered slightly.

"Life isn't what we want it to be, nor does it care what we think what is fair or not. We just get thrown into the world and are expected to deal with it."

"How…can you be so calm with this? I…"

"You can sit around, pity yourself for making the 'wrong' decision or stand up and try to make a 'right' one." Lucifer moved one gloved hand, pointing towards Alisa's forehead. "Yeah, you might be a piece in a puzzle that leads to his death but there are multiple factors to consider. Two teams just meeting on the same field without being notified and then suddenly a horde of aragami shows up out of nowhere…"

"W-what are you trying to say?"

"Ajin, dova, tori." Lucifer attentively watched how the expression of the girl in front of her changed from lively to distant. She was looking through her, her mouth repeating the phrase like she was in a trance. The older woman tilted her head to the left, eyes narrowing.

"…Interesting." Her hand reached under Alisa's chin tilting it up slightly towards her. The girl didn't even resist like a puppet. Due to that she saw in her memory and what she was seeing now, she concluded that the girl was just targeting Lindow as her enemy. Then suddenly the girls hand moved, pointing her index finger towards her, imitating a gun.

"Pull the…trigger to destroy the aragami."

Lucifer took it back. She was still dangerous but only with a weapon in her hands.

"Well, look at that… They made her into a sleeper…" The blue haired God Eater clicked her tongue and grimaced almost in disgust. "That's a low tactic but it takes some expertise and time to pull something like that off. They planned it long beforehand." With a sigh, she shook her head.

Suddenly Alisa looked at her horrified and she held her head.

"N-No…That's not right! It's not right!"

Lucifer reacted quickly, dragging her into a hug and patting her head to calm her down. It worked the first time around, it might work again. Her incoherent mumbles gave away to sobs.

"Now, now…It's alright."

The girl clung to her jacket, pressing her face against her.

"There, there…Nothing happened." Lucifer's fingertips combed through her silver hair. Alisa inhaled. She mostly smelled of soap and fresh clothes, mixed with a couple of herbs. It was strangely calming and neutral smell which made her think of a patch of grass. "W-What was that?" Her voice sounded hoarse and broke while she talked.

The girl was nothing more than a crying, scared child.

"Exactly what happened to you with Lindow. This wasn't your fault." She whispered.

"I…"

Her gloved fingers stroke her cheek in a gentle fashion to calm her down.

"...Remember I'm on _your_ side in this."

"Really?" This was such a strange thing to hear from the apathetic woman who comforted her. Her touch was warm, even under the gloves and the fabric felt smooth on her skin. She heard and felt an affirmative hum rumbling through her chest.

Exhausted from the emotional strain, Alisa soon fell asleep in her arms. Lucifer let out a long, almost relieved sigh as she carefully placed the girl's head back at the pillow.

Her green eyes looked at her while she rubbed her chin deep in thought. That girl broke out of her brainwashed state alone which meant that the 'treatment' didn't seem to stick after what happened with Lindow. This was good but if her 'doctor' noticed it, he might try to reinforce it or – if they really were desperate – going to get rid of her.

The woman crossed her arms before her chest.

She couldn't be here all the time but that was a risk she had to take. She couldn't quit her job without gathering too much attention and get anybody suspicious.

A sinister smirk moved over her lips. Brainwashing a kid and using it to do the dirty work for them. This wasn't a matter she could overlook. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought. She folded her hands as she licked over her dry lips.

"I'm going to make you _suffer_ for that, Director."

After another hour, Sakuya came by to take over, finding the girl still sleeping peacefully.

"Any changes?"

Lucifer looked up from her book.

"…What did they say? Will she transfer because of 'mental treatment' or will she stay in our unit?"

"Since her stellar recovery, they are planning her to send her on the field again, so I guess she will stay with us for a while."

"That's good news. To your question, I tried to evaluate how deeply her mind screwed over by the 'treatment' she received."

The medic blinked a couple of times before she opened her mouth.

"You did what?!"

The woman in the chair ignored her clear disapproval of her actions and continued. "It's faulty."

"What do you mean?"

"She broke out of the trance herself after a while and was clearly upset about it. We should be fine when she doesn't have a weapon in her hands. What I'm worried about is what will happen when the director or her personal doctor gets the gist of it."

"You don't really think that they will..."

Lucifer shrugged her shoulders. "She is in the way. Not in the way like Lindow, but still a liability. We should keep an eye on her until she is ready to go out again by herself. Even so…" Then she grimaced. "Her guilt-trip is giving me a headache."

"After all, she pulled the trigger which…" Sakuya bit her lower lip. "And without any evidence, we can't prove anything. Nobody is going to believe it."

Lucifer pulled a piece of paper out of the sides and showed it to her. "You mean evidence something like that?"

The older woman narrowed her eyes and then widened them in shock as she identified it as a highly classified document.

"Lucifer that's…" She shook her head. "Where did you get that?"

"I helped him moving a few crates this morning." The blue haired one responded with an almost innocent impression on her face. "Still, we should see that our rabbit here doesn't do something stupid." As Lucifer stood up she petted her head, slowly, causing the girl mutter something and turn to the side.

She withheld a chuckle but Sakuya noticed her amused expression.

"You seem to quite like her."

"Ah, it's just unusual. Normally such small animals run when they see me."

* * *

Chapter finished. Not much fun in this one and it isn't very long. I apologize for that...

Have a nice night,

TheNocturnalHunter


	4. The Scared Rabbit and The Cold Wolf

Next chapter. Lucifer helps Alisa to train, mentally and physically.

Other than that, there isn't much to say other than it's still more drama-related than funny.

* * *

"Why are we here?" Alisa looked around in the training facility which was empty. At this hour, she would be surprised if anyone else was awake. "And where did you get the keys for…"

"I asked Gina a favor," Lucifer answered, snapping the light switch upward to illuminate the stage. The girl blinked irritated as the dazzling light flooded the room but in the distance she could make out round targets in the distance. "What is that?"

"Never have seen the room where you can test new bullets? I thought someone who favors gun mode would know about this." The slight amusement in her voice let Alisa flinch and run red from embarrassment. She never had been here but she tried to play it off.

"So why are we here? I thought you will teach me to…"

"I'm not going with someone into a battlefield who just had a mental breakdown. I might be crazy but I'm not entirely suicidal." Despite her smirk, Alisa could feel how that comment stung. If the older woman noticed it or not, she continued. "We are going to rehearse the basics a couple of times. Is that alright for you?"

"Y-Yes."

"Good. Just to warm up, run ten laps around the room."

"W-What? Why should I?"

"Stamina. You were in the sickbay for a while." Lucifer shrugged off her jacket, revealing a black shirt underneath it but Alisa's gaze fell on her arms. They were thin - thinner than she expected - but she could see lean muscles flexing under the pale skin as she stretched them. Some gruesome markings and scars covered them. Since God Eater had a regeneration ability which dealt with such things quickly, this meant that either the injuries were quite deep or they happened before she had been turned into one.

The shirt was clearly one or two sizes too big for her.

"What are you doing?!"

"Don't act like I'm stripping naked here. I will run with you."

"H-Huh? But…"

"Come on, we have a tight schedule."

She noticed while running that even ten laps felt tiring for her. This shouldn't normally a problem being a God Eater and all. Lucifer, on the other hand, didn't even seem to break much of a sweat.

"How can you keep up with it so easily?" Alisa spoke between hastily drawn breaths. The other female frowned. "Kota can do that and our resident Death God could probably outrun me without a problem."

"Death God? Do you mean…?"

"Mr. Grumpy and I-will-glare-you-to-death-if-you-just-move-an-inch-towards-me." Lucifer chuckled a little bit. "You should have caught up with the rumors around him about now."

"Yeah, but they are false, right? There is no such a thing like that, is there?"

"No, I don't believe you can kill people with your presence. I just call him like that to tease him a little bit."

"But that's…"

"Hey, if he doesn't want me to call him that he has to come to me himself. He is a big boy, you know. Besides that, it's better to vent anger sometimes, instead of building it up. Acting all cool and tough but throwing a tantrum like an immature kid…He is amusing sometimes." She chuckled again. "Now take your God Arc. Plain and simple target practice for today."

* * *

"S-So, how was I?"

Lucifer frowned as she looked at the targets and then titled her head to the left side.

"Not bad but not even close to the score you had." She stepped closer. Carefully she put her gloved hand on her wrist which was holding the gun and pushed it up. "Your hands are shaking and even with a heavy weapon like that, it kind of fucks up your attempt to aim. On the other hand, I'm a really bad shooter when a target moves so…"

"Is that the reason why you fight close up?"

"I just use the gun to distract, not for actual fighting. I'm better with the blade and I like the thrill."

"L-Like the _thrill_? That's a horrible and reckless thing to say!"

"Well, for some people. As you already have noticed, I'm not 'some people'." The chuckle that followed let Alisa shiver. Something about it just felt so wrong and bloodcurdling when she did that. "Don't misunderstand me. I find fighting more thrilling than actually killing something."

"T-That doesn't make anything better!"

"In some aspects, it does." Suddenly her smirk vanished and she returned to her neutral, empty expression. "Now let's go back to training."

In her mind, Lucifer noted that she need to ask Sakuya about some tips with gun handling as she continued to watch Alisa missing the next target.

"Take a deep breath." The woman told her. Her cold eyes watching her as she reloaded. This was just the start of one hell of a week.

* * *

"Alisa, no offense but you look like you have been to hell and back." Kota commented as the girl massaged her temples and almost downed the coffee in one swing. Early mornings and so much training during the day that she fell onto her bed just to pass out had taken its toll and everybody could see it. Lucifer, on the other hand, didn't show a single sign of regret or exhausting during her hellish training method.

Alisa watched her talking to Hibari, scheduling a new mission for both of them and she sighed. "I couldn't really sleep."

"Why? I mean with everything you have told me, you should have no problem with sleeping. Or passing out."

"The last mission was a disaster."

"The one with the Chi You? But I have heard you did a good job with that."

"No, I didn't," She muttered under her breath.

"Alisa." Her head snapped up at her voice and she jumped out of her seat. "Yes!"

"You are free today."

"W-What?"

"You deserve some rest."

"But…"

"Take a good look at yourself in a mirror. I won't take you on the field in that state. You have earned a little bit of rest."

"B-But yesterday…"

Lucifer frowned. "Are you still riding around on that? It didn't even scar, so relax a little."

"That's not…"

"Alisa." The stern tone let the girl's words die in her throat. "What happened, happened. You look like hell, that's why I am not letting you go. Rest up and tomorrow we will resume training, alright?"

The girl couldn't do anything else but nod dejected at her words. Kota tried his best to somehow cheer her up by lamenting that he had to go and pass up the newest episode of his favorite series. It didn't help and as soon as they were gone, she could feel how empty the main hall suddenly was.

People passed her by and she just watched them moving along, not knowing what to do. Lucifer did that often. She just stood somewhere and watched them moving about as if it was fascinating which was beyond Alisa's understanding.

" _That New Type went with the Death God again. How much do you bet that he will do her in this time?"_

" _Hey, at least, she didn't go with that bitch who has killed Lindow."_

She flinched at the words, knowing that they meant her. The room felt cold and hostile. Her lower lip quivered. The past few days she hadn't wasted a thought about that. A memory flashed before her eyes of how her bullet had grazed Lucifer's shoulder in the last mission. The girl stood up and hurried to the elevator.

It scared her.

The looks, the whispers, and the words scared her and she just wanted to get away from it. She started to run down the corridor, ignoring the stares or the environment around it. Suddenly something grabbed her upper arm and yanked her to an abrupt halt. A surprised yelp escaped her as she tried to hold her balance.

"I leave you alone for five minutes and you are already running away." The voice sounded amused and Alisa how felt every fiber of her body stiffened. "Seems like the training didn't take as well as I thought it would."

Alisa was too shocked to speak at first. "How…Weren't you…?"

"I told them that I had to get something and there I saw you running like a little rabbit from some petty words."

This sentence struck a chord inside her and the girl felt herself growing angry.

"I…!"

"Now, now…No need to snap at somebody." Her chuckle sounded cold but the words were confident and strong, almost commanding. Her green eyes looked at her. "How do you think you can stand an aragami when words like that can get to you?"

"I…"

She rubbed her with goose bumps covered arms in an attempt to warm up herself up and ignore the cold sinking feeling inside her. It felt humiliating and she felt angry, hopelessly lost and frustrated. There was nothing she could do, nothing to hurl back at her. The sharp words didn't come. Lucifer didn't show any expression of pity but she didn't look angry either.

"Normally I wouldn't say that but hold your head high. Demons just get to you when you show doubt. Yeah, he died and you were partly responsible for it but it was also his own order to abandon him. He gave you a chance to get better than this. So use it and let this event slow you down."

"I'm not like you! I can't just brush it aside as if nothing happened!" Alisa could feel herself on the verge of tears. "My parents, Lindow…everybody…I…" There was a knot in her throat that she couldn't swallow. The woman just chuckled as she laid a hand on her shoulder while the other was placed on her head.

"Shhh…Concentrate what's important right now. Besides, I'm with you and the infamous Death God on the team and I'm still not dead. That accounts for something, you know."

"But, the mission…"

"I'm used to get beaten around. A little graze of a bullet isn't the world." Alisa could feel her chuckle. Even though it sounded cold and silence-filling, the touch felt warm and comforting.

"I have to go now. Don't forget, that I'm not against you and not with them. If you have questions turn to me, alright?"

Alisa closed her eyes and nodded. As she opened it again to ask something, Lucifer was gone but the touch still lingered. She balled her hands into fists.

"Right. I can do it. I-I will try." The girl muttered to herself. "I'm not alone."

* * *

A personal thing I consider myself asking: I don't really know if it is good to have an amoral character as an emotional crutch but oh well, each their own, I guess xD I know there isn't much fluff or something like that and I'm still practicing getting some romance and fluff into it. This is my first romantic story, so I guess it's a little bit difficult to manage that, but I will try ^^

Have a nice night,

TheNocturnalHunter


	5. Becoming a Wolf

Hello again, dear readers.

Yeah, romance is such a pesky thing when you have absolutely no idea how to write it. This chapter is more serious on the dynamic between the two, just like the last chapter. But I can say that the next one will be more lighthearted (a lot more lighthearted than this one) and more fluffy.

Please forgive my inexperience with the genre and enjoy the chapter.

* * *

Just one moment, a second went past but it was enough to make Alisa's feet weak and give out from the rush of pure adrenalin. Lucifer just stood there, the Vajra lying dead next to her. Her back was turned to it and she shoot Alisa a knowing smirk. The girl's legs gave out. The smell of gunpowder was still fresh in the air as was the thought that the woman in front of her would be dead if she had hesitated just one second longer.

"Alisa, is everything alright?!" It was Sakuya's voice. It should have been alright. Everybody was alive this time around but the girl couldn't stop the tears from coming. The medic threw Lucifer a confused and worried look. The other woman walked over and placed a hand on the girl's head.

"See, it wasn't so hard, was it?"

She looked up to her. In the light of the dawning sun, the woman in front of her seemed to wear a halo around her head but her eyes defied the picture. The lush green of her eyes looked down at her, like always calculating and dead.

"H-Huh?"

"Alisa just saved my life."

That wasn't true. That woman _knew_ exactly what had happened and she just let it happen, let Alisa aim and take the kill for herself.

"I should thank you for that."

And even when this bullet saved her life, she didn't look glad or proud. A quick lie on her tongue and an empty expression to accompany it as she spoke. Alisa wanted to call her liar and hurl it all back in her face but her lips wouldn't move.

"That isn't like you." Sakuya frowned. "To be so absentminded of your surroundings."

"Ah, my head was just somewhere else. Luckily it isn't over there without my neck attached to it." It sounded like a lighthearted comment, just a hand wave as if she didn't realize how dangerous this was. Nothing seemed to shake her, from bloody battle to a near-death experience. It was enviable but at the same time frightening. Alisa reached out and grabbed the lower edge of Lucifer's uniform jacket.

"You could have died!" She screamed as she suddenly found her voice again.

"But I didn't, didn't I? You did a good job today. Facing your demons and all that."

The girl wondered if it was true or if anything was true that came out of her mouth and yet something inside of her wanted to believe it. The way she spoke, the way that woman smiled – hollow as it was – was not lying to her but not really telling the truth either. It was the weird kind of in-between, a musky gray in spite of just being black and white.

It felt wrong. This picture before her, the words she spoke to her - It felt so unspeakably wrong. The girl wondered if she would ever see another emotion on this woman's face.

She got her wish as Tsubaki announced there would be a new leader. It came hardly as a surprise which person the director had chosen, at least for the rest of the team. Out of the available candidates, Lucifer seemed to have the best qualities. She obeyed orders, was a strong fighter and knew how to strategically shift the table to their favor and ensure that the team came back home safe and sound. Kota wanted to congratulate her but halted himself.

As Alisa looked up from her clipboard, she knew why. The already pale woman had gone paler, her lips pressed into a fine line and she looked everything else than happy – almost a little bit conflicted.

"Lucy, everything alright?" The woman looked at Tsubaki. Opening her mouth as if to say something but then closed it and shook her head. "After this mission, it's made official?"

"See it as the last test."

She looked annoyed but nodded. "Fine. We will get ready."

"Then you are dismissed."

Lucifer ignored her and just walked towards the elevator.

"That's strange." Kota noted with a frown and Alisa could only agree. This was certainly strange. She could her legs move towards the direction of the stairs. She had an idea where she would go so shortly before the mission. Gina often told her that she came down to the God Arc Hangar to check over or clean her God Arc before and after battle.

She was there and was having a staring contest with her own weapon. Her expression had turned into a scowl and she didn't seem to have noticed Alisa yet. The girl hesitated to call out for her or get her attention, so she just waited and watched.

"If you want to ask something, do it." The green eyes had wandered into her direction. Alisa flinched at the sharpness of her voice.

"I…Well…You looked conflicted."

"Conflicted?" The woman started to chuckle. "…Well fuck, there goes my reputation to be emotional like a brick."

"Watch your language, please!" Alisa immediately clasped around her mouth after she realized what she just had said. Nervously she tried to straighten her composure by crossing her arms before her breasts. "J-Just for you to know, as Leader, you should watch what you say! Y-You are a bad influence for…well…for….For us!" In her mind, she cursed herself for stuttering.

Amused a slender eyebrow moved up on Lucifer's face. "Isn't Soma worse than me?"

"Y-Yes, he is. M-Maybe, I don't know…D-Don't try to avoid the topic!"

"…I don't really try to avoid it here." Alisa felt like shoveling her grave.

"S-Stop doing that!"

Innocently Lucifer titled her head to the side and gave her an even more innocent look.

"Doing what?"

She was shoveling deeper and faster towards the center of this earth as expected.

"T-That!" Alisa started to gestures widely, feeling her face burning up in frustration and shame. It was then when the woman started to snicker. It didn't sound half as hollow as usual. Almost delighted.

"W-What so funny?!"

"Do I have to get a mirror or will you take my word for it that your expression is just awfully cute."

"C-Cute?!"

Lucifer stifled her laugh and crossed her arms before her chest.

"Yes, cute." The older woman reaffirmed her statement.

"H-How…can you say something like that?!" The girl's face was burning.

"Just did." She shrugged her shoulders. "Why do you ask? Do you think I would lie?" Her smirk suddenly turned cold again, almost knowingly so.

"O-Of course not." The green eyes looked at her as if they were searching for something and then a soft sigh escaped her. "But yeah, I don't like the promotion." The girl froze and couldn't help just to stare at her. So many people wished to climb the ranks quickly and this woman just did but she looked more annoyed than happy.

"But isn't it…great? Your hard work is being recognized…so…"

"Hard work?" The woman tilted her head to the side, looking back to her God Arc. "Just because I kill aragami like every other God Eater, doesn't mean I work hard."

"I beg to differ. You take many missions and not even called in sick once…I dare to even say that you overwork yourself."

"I don't see what fighting for survival has to do with 'hard work'. I didn't do it to climb the ladder of promotions…Hell, I would rather keep fighting aragami than arguing with a team or with the director himself." She touched the surface of her God Arc, fingertips running over the multiple scratches. "Nothing against you but I don't want to have something that gives me more headaches than I already have."

"Just killing aragami? Do…you hate them so much?"

Lucifer directed her glance back to her. A few seconds she just looked at her in silence as if to carefully think what to say.

"No." She answered and it sounded serene. "I don't hate aragami. I guess, I saw them as a neutral force of nature, not as good or bad or something horrible."

"And all the people that they killed and mauled to death? All the children, families, the good people who had nothing…" The woman smiled again at her words, it looked bitter this time around.

"Alisa…I didn't help you so that you can get revenge. No…" She shook her head. "You can do what you want. I'm not going to do say what you should or shouldn't do. If you want to hunt a phantom, go ahead. It will get you killed but if that makes you happy…Then you should do it."

The girl looked at her, steeling herself. Her conviction would not be swayed, not even by that woman. "I'm not weak and I will fight until every aragami is dead." Lucifer just chuckled at her words and proud gaze. She came closer, her smile sweet but letting the girl's blood freeze in their veins. Just a moment later, she stood directly at her left side and placed one gloved hand on her shoulder. Her voice lowered down to a whisper and she could feel her breath on her ear.

"What for?"

Alisa stepped away and straightened her posture.

"So that other people could leave at peace."

"Do you really believe that? Or are you just repeating the words what a God Eater should be?" Lucifer shrugged her shoulders and her expression softened a little. "Do you have something precious to fight for other than a petty moral or because you hate them?"

"Something … precious…?"

Alisa looked at her.

"Do…you have something like that?"

"Hmm…I wonder…Everyone has other reasons but just haunting for the sake of it will kill you. Either quick or slowly but it will kill." Her words sounded severe for once, not the usual play of switching the words in the girl's mouth but a well-placed warning. "After that I will be your leader but I won't protect you from yourself."

"Protect me…from myself?" It was strange.

"It's not my place to do that." She told her with a smile.

"Just watch me. I will show you how strong I am. I don't need protection."

* * *

A week later, Alisa stood over a dead aragami, looking at its body slowly disintegrating. A Vajira again but this time she didn't hesitate. She wanted it dead and only that was important. It wasn't the same that haunted her nightmares, not the same that killed her parents but it was similar and that was enough. It made her stronger, slowly and surely. Her grip tightened around her God Arc when she looked at it as if she wanted to burn the picture into her head.

These monsters were beatable and she will grow stronger until she found one who looked exactly like the aragami she was searching for.

Lucifer talked with Sakuya, going over the cores that they have gathered together and the items they managed to salvage. The woman's gaze trailed off to the girl standing over the corpse and stopped to speak. Sakuya frowned and followed her look immediately.

"Is something wrong?"

"Her look is." Lucifer nodded at Alisa. "She shouldn't have it." Almost immediately she walked over to her. Her steps silent.

"Do you feel satisfied?"

The girl stirred but didn't avert her gaze.

"Do you believe I'm stronger now?"

"Actually, I believe that you are becoming weaker." The girl's head snapped to her.

"What do you mean?"

"Where did the 'for the peace' – thing go? I thought you really believed that."

"I still do. I don't know what you are talking about."

"You can sprout all the brave speeches you want but that isn't really convincing with that bloodlust in your eyes."

"I'm not…!" She stopped herself and suddenly the fury of the last days bubbled up. In these days, there hadn't been a word of praise in her missions, not a word of how well she did this time around. All she got from her new leader was silent treatment and just the bare bones of a conversation. It hadn't been like that at all when they trained together. Ever since that talk, Lucifer gave her a rather indifferent look as she watched her almost as if she was disappointed in her.

Alisa couldn't stand it. She couldn't stand her judging look, her unmoving face, her emotionless expression, her chiding her as if she was above her.

"What can I do to satisfy you? To convince you that I'm stronger and more independent than before?!"

Lucifer's expression didn't move again. "You have to proof nothing to me." She answered calmly. "Never said you should, didn't I?"

"Then stop looking at me like that!"

The older woman sighed. "I didn't teach you how to fight so you could go on a killing spree, you know."

"Then why did you teach me in the first place when I shouldn't use it to kill aragami!"

"There is a fine difference to fight for self-defense and to kill because you think that makes you stronger." Her voice was unusually sharp and her stare was piercing. "It doesn't make you any better than the aragami that you hate."

Then her expression softened. One hand was placed on her head and suddenly snatched her hat away.

"H-Hey!"

Lucifer just held it out of reach and dodged her attempts with ease.

"G-Give it back!" Her pale face became red.

"That cute look suits your face more, you know."

The red became burning scarlet.

"S-Stop saying that!"

"I have one last task for you." The older woman dropped her hat back onto her head. "Find someone to fight for and that person needs to be alive and shouldn't be a team member."

Alisa just stuttered something incomprehensible and then stomped off. Behind her, Sakuya chuckled.

"Didn't you go a little bit too far with your teasing?"

"It was your idea that I should act less serious to ease the mood."

The medic rose an eyebrow, an amusing smirk gracing her features.

"I never said something about to straight up start _flirting_. Well, I never thought I would see you of all people doing that."

"It's because I have the emotional computability of a brick? Besides, just telling the trust doesn't count as flirting. You don't want to see me flirt. Trust me."

"Because you are awful at it?"

"Only when it comes to men but that has other reasons." She showed the medic a smirk. "I'm not unversed with girls in that matter."

* * *

Yeah, teacher-student dynamic. I thought that was more appropriate, since in the game the player helps her train to become better. What I found lacking in the development was the whole revenge-thing with Alisa. Yeah, she is more or less cured from her brainwashing but that doesn't really change that she wanted something _dead_ and became a _God Eater_ because of that. (naturally they could 'convinced' her but...I hope you get my point)

Lucifer on the other hand has seen a lot of shit and what humans are willing to do when pushed. The last things she needs right now is another deathseeker (or in this case revenge-seeker) . Soma, I'm looking in your direction here.

And yeah, it's offical in this and in the other story, she has experience primary with girls since she can't stay in physical contact with a man for long. (she gets very uneasy, lashes out and altogether tries to avoid it for a reason that she doesn't even know herself).

For those who are waiting for an **update of the other stories** : I will update them tomorrow or the day after that. I won't update today because I can only write with one hand today. (blood donation is all good and well, but it hurts a little bit when I try to type with the hand of my 'injured' arm)

I hope you can forgive me for that and until next time,

TheNocturnalHunter


	6. Trying to Bait a Wolf

The day began relatively harmless and normal. On mission done, a bunch of files written, corrected and delivered and the time for lunch approached. Lucifer crossed her arms, sighing as she gazed at the taller male in front of her who seemed to be just as keen as her about this talk.

Disobeying orders. Again. At this point, she didn't expect anything different from him. Normally, she would have let him die out there for all she cared, but ever since her promotion she had the reasonability to keep him alive - his opinion on the matter be damned. "At this point, I may sound like a broken record but you act like a rebellious kid." Her tone was streaked with a tinge of amusement and weariness. He just gave her the blatantly annoyed and semi-deadly glare he always gave her and stayed silent.

"If you want so desperately out of this unit, you just have to ask, Death God." He still flinched slightly as she used his nickname to refer to him but he tried to play it off as if he didn't care. For someone so silent, he was awfully easy to read. The hints Lindow had dropped here and there about him, were also helpful. "Look, I wouldn't care that you are a death seeker in denial. My only request is that you do that 'death-seeking' somewhere else and not in this unit."

This time, he parted his lips, slightly offended – judging the deep growl that emitted out of his throat but before he could get a chance to complain, the sound of an explosion echoed through the hallway. Both of their bodies went rigid, their heads snapped towards the source, listening attentively. Carefully she tried to concentrate, seeing if she felt a tingle in the back of her head. Slightly confused she tilted her head and frowned as she didn't feel it.

"An experiment gone wrong?"

Soma didn't look at her, eyes moving around the hallway, searching for traces of smoke. "Wrong floor. Besides that, the doors and walls in the laboratory are enforced and soundproof. It wouldn't make such a noise." He snarled slightly and grimaced. God Eaters had enhanced senses due to their Oracle Cells and his ears were probably ringing. "Ah? Does sound differently when something explodes in the laboratory?"

"…Not all of the old man's inventions are foolproof and safe to use."

Lucifer's head tilted back to look at the ceiling. "No alarm either." Whatever happened, couldn't be so bad but still it was explosion. So she decided to at least take a look to find the source. Her subordinate decided the same and trailed silently behind her. As they reached the section which veterans lovingly called 'Rookie quarters' or 'Fresh meat section', they already could see and smell smoke. Then hurried steps. Someone was running towards them. Kota suddenly emerged out of a side corridor and almost bumped into them.

"W-Woha, sorry!" Soma just glared at him in his usual way. "Watch where you are running." Kota smiled nervously before he straightened his posture. "Good thing, I found you. We kind of…need help?"

"Need help? With what?" Then Lucifer sighed. "What did you do?"

"I did nothing. Alisa somehow…well…just take a look at it for yourself." The smoke was coming out of her room and the smell had become more poignant. Kota moved to open the door. "Hey Alisa, I brought Lucy and Soma to help you to…" He couldn't even finish as a very angry voice answer him. "You did _what_?!"

Then the anger manifested itself as a flying croaked pan which Kota and Lucifer barely dodged and ended up hitting Soma who was the least prepared for such an onslaught square in the face. "Oh shit, Soma's down! Maybe I should call for backup and…" The youngest male already turned to leave this sticky situation.

"Not necessary." Lucifer muttered under her breath, grabbing him by the shoulder and forcing him to stay. "Alisa, stop throwing things, already! I'm not going to leave either way." She waited a few seconds to see if the coast was clear and then moved in into the room. Now it didn't only smell like smoke and a little bit like black powder but as if something had burnt to death. Alisa was sitting on the floor of her kitchen corner right in front of the oven which looked everything else than operable. The girl was drenched as the fire sprinkler above her had gone off.

Lucifer tried to take the scene in and tried to conclude what happened. "Did you put explosives or bullets in the oven?"

"What? No!" The girl crossed her arms and looked offended.

"Then did you experiment with new bullets?"

"No!"

"Then a new recipe for a land mine?"

"There are no explosives involved!"

"Alisa tried to…uhm…" Kota's explanation became stuck in his throat as Alisa threw him a glare so deadly that it put Soma's to shame. Lucifer sighed. "Alisa…What did you do?"

"I tried to…" The last word was so quiet that she couldn't hear it. "Pardon?"

"She tried to cook." Soma answered instead in his usual grumpy tone as he pinched his nose and tried to staunch the flow of blood coming out of his nostrils. At least he was spared from the downright nasty smell. "Cook?" Lucifer's frown deepened and looked at Alisa who stared at the floor, ears and face red. She had known lunatics who may as well thought about cooking bullets but she never had seen such a disaster.

"I will note that I will never let you handle explosives." With a sigh, she turned to the rest. "Alright. Kota, talk to Tsubaki. Not that anyone panics from a cooking incident. Then please get me Sakuya. Death God…" She paused and mustered him from head to toe. "You might want to see the sickbay. Not that a broken nose would destroy your handsome face." He grumble something under his breath before he walked out the door, accompanied by Kota who gave her a thumbs up.

Slowly Lucifer took off her jacket and dropped it around Alisa's shoulders. The girl flinched as the warm, recently worn fabric hit her cold and wet skin and she looked up at her questionably. "Stand up and sit on your bed. I will bring you a towel to dry your hair." Without losing another word, the older woman slipped into her bathroom and emerged with a couple of towels in her hands as Alisa did what she was told to do. Lucifer dropped a towel over her head.

"Sakuya will look her over, just in case but I think it is a suitable punishment that you clean up this mess by yourself later on." Alisa just nodded meekly. "What did you cook? Maybe the rations we get are…"

"Cookies."

"What…?"

"I tried to bake cookies." Alisa wanted to drop dead on the spot as her leader just stared at her with a disbelieving expression gracing her features. "Wow…" She muttered, glancing back at the ruined stove and then to her. "You are pretty sure that black powder wasn't mentioned in the recipe?"

"It already told you!"

"Calm down, but you have to admit that this is quite an impressive failure. It reminds me the first time I prepared a mine. Let's see it from the optimistic point of view. As I came out of it, I wasn't exactly unharmed." She rolled up the sleeve of her left arm, turning the elbow towards Alisa. The skin tissue there was streaked with cuts and was obviously burnt in the past but it seemed like it was fading a little bit. "The Oracle Cells do a pretty good job. It's almost scary. Although my left ring finger still feels numb and is slightly slower when I try to curl it up." She slowly made a fist, making it apparent that the finger was didn't seem to react as fast as the other.

"Why would you tinker with explosives in the first place?"

"I grew up outside the walls. Knowing how to tinker and use explosives is more or less part of the 101 of scavenging. It doesn't hurt aragami but at least gets their attention for some time."

"Outside the walls?"

Lucifer nodded. "Outside. With all the nasty surprises you can get but don't break your head over it." The older woman paused. "Why do you suddenly want to make something? If you want something to eat use the canteen. Much less dangerous."

"I-I didn't want to make something for myself."

"Oh?"

"Alisa! Are you alright?" Sakuya burst through the door, looking at the disaster before her. Lucifer chuckled slightly. "Yeah, everything alright. Just a little embarrassed and shocked, I think."

"God, Alisa, why did you blow up the stove again."

Lucifer's smirk faded. "Again?" She then turned back to the girl who shrank away. "…Alisa, mind explaining why you are becoming a hazard to kitchen utensils?"

"U-Uhm…"

"Lucifer, mind if you speak outside?"

"I don't mind…" Sakuya stepped out of her way, smiling at Alisa. Once outside the room and the door closed, the medic cleared her throat. "Don't be too harsh on her, she tries to make something for you."

"For me? Did I say something offending and now she tries to poison me for it?"

"No, no. Just…you are working hard and Kanon told her that you liked sweets, so one thing led to the other."

"Which ended in her blowing up kitchens…I get it. I'm fine with no presents or when she buy them. I would rather have that than somebody getting seriously injured by that. But I guess, she has learned her lesson."

"You have noticed by now that she can be very stubborn."

"She will get over it." Lucifer faintly smiled.

The leader of the first unit took these words back as Tsubaki informed her that Alisa would be banned from the canteen kitchen for life after she almost blew it up. Lucifer sighed as she glanced up from the report on her desk and straight on the bunch of black cookies which more resembled coals than sweets. She had accepted them to spare Alisa from the humiliation and further kitchens to become the girl's victims.

"Why do cute things always come with such a dangerous aftertaste?" She mumbled under her breath as she played with one cookie and then chuckled. "Things I do when she gives me that innocent look…"


End file.
